Supreme Court Issues Notice in Estate Dispute of Late Businessman Sunjay Kapur, Suggests Mediation

In a fresh development in the estate dispute involving late businessman Sunjay Kapur, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a plea filed by Rani Kapur, seeking responses from Priya Sachdev Kapur and 22 others. A Bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi also indicated that mediation could be explored to resolve the matter, observing that prolonged litigation in family disputes may not be beneficial. "Why are you all fighting? You are 80. This is not the age for your client to fight. Go for mediation once and for all, from A to Z. Otherwise, this is a waste," the court said, as cited by ANI. The matter is scheduled to be taken up next week. The petition before the Supreme Court seeks directions to restrain the respondents from interfering with the estate, its assets and related affairs. "It will be in the interest of all the parties concerned if they go for a mediation and try to resolve the disputes peacefully and equitably... We shall, if necessary, hear the matter on merits; however, first, we should make an attempt to convince the parties to go for mediation," the bench said, emphasising the need for an amicable solution. Rani Kapur has also challenged orders passed by the Delhi High Court, arguing that the estate has not yet been secured and raising concerns over a possible dissipation of assets. Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for her, submitted that courts typically grant protective orders at an early stage in disputes involving large estates. He was assisted by Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar and Advocate-on-Record Smriti Churiwal. Senior Advocate Madhavi Divan appeared for Mandhira Kapur Smith, one of the affected parties, while Senior Advocate Naveen Pahwa, representing the affected grandchildren, supported the plea, stating that they had been excluded. The dispute stems from a suit filed by Rani Kapur challenging the creation of the Rani Kapur Family Trust, alleging that it was structured in a way that deprived her of control over her estate, including her interests in the Sona Group. She has claimed that after suffering a stroke in 2017, her late son and others facilitated the transfer of assets without her informed consent. The matter escalated following the death of Sunjay Kapur last year, with competing claims emerging over control of family assets and business interests. Parallel proceedings on related issues are currently pending before the Delhi High Court.